Doug Coleman
Profiles are an important part of participating in FOSSCoach. Your profile lets coaches and participants know what you want to learn and share at the event, and help organizers know what to prepare (such as badges, space, seats, giveaways, etc.) Additionally, for novice participants, creating a profile ensures that you've already used a Wiki - one kind of important online collaborative tool. Creating Your Profile To create your own profile, follow these steps: # Click on the "View Source" link above. # Copy all of the text in the big text box under the text that reads: "You can view and copy the source of this page:" # Open a new browser window # Put http://fosscoach.wikia.com/wiki/Your_Name in the location bar, changing Your_Name to your actual name. If the page already exists, try a longer version of your name. For example, if your name is Jo Doe, then try Jo E. Doe. # Click on the "Edit This Page" link. # Once the edit page loads, paste the text copied from the Creating Your Profile text box into the text box. # Press the "Save Page" button underneath the text box. This will creat a new wiki page. # Now you can start customizing your profile. Click on the "Edit this Page" link and start editing the page contents. Make sure to save frequently. You can get help from the "Editing Tips" box on the left-hand side of the screen. Also, there are tips embedded in the text of the profile template itself. Template Starts Here Brief Bio I'm a thirty-something high school teacher from Portland who wants to help revive my local online teachers forum. Skills * Online: I've been using the net for about a decade - mostly just for research, surfing and email. I have been a list administrator for a model airplane mailing list and I use Facebook and LinkedIn. * Open Source: I've helped a few students participate in the PHP project (even giving them extra credit for projects contributing to the project documentation.) I can talk about the experience of getting started and show people how the PHP community works and what the major tools are. * Programming: I teach the programming (and math) at my school. I know Java, Javascript and PHP. * Teaching: I've taught teens and adults for the last decade and am happy to help coach people with programming basics. What I Hope To Learn at FOSSCoach There is an online forum for teachers in the Portland area. It is unique in that it includes college, high school and university teachers. IT used to be a great source of support and professional development - unfortunately, the main administrator became ill and the list has been taken over by a few grouches. I want to help the list get back to being a great place to hang out and a valuable resource. What I Hope To Share at FOSSCoach I can help people get started with PHP. I don't feel comfortable giving a presentation on it, but I can coach novices.